A look back at past activities of the newly resurrected Black Student Union
BY: JACOB POLITTE
Managing Editor
BY: MORGAN DANIELS
Staff Writer
As The Montage approaches 60 years in print, it’s notable that archived digital copies that can be viewed by readers on The Montage’s “Issuu” page only date back to 2010. The rest are not lost to time, however. Print copies, both loose and binded, still exist. They date all the way back to the very first issue in 1964 and can be accessed in the Library.
As we approach our sixtieth year in publication, The Montage would like to take you back in time to some of those issues throughout the coming school year. This month, we’re diverting from the formula a bit and taking a look back at the past activities of a newly resurrected organization on campus.
After over 25 years in exile, Meramec once again has a Black Student Union (BSU).
This semester, the organization was reborn, and is looking to grow once more. In the past, the organization participated in and facilitated many events over its initial 30 year run.
Montage Reporter and current Black Student Union member Morgan Daniels, in her role with the latter organization, recently reflected on the history of the BSU’s Meramec tenure in an Instagram post.
“In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Black Meramec students formed the Association of Black Collegiates (A.B.C.) The student org was known for hosting annual Miss Black Meramec contests to fundraise for their club.
Around 1973, A.B.C. renamed itself the Black Student Union. The club participated in community service events like collecting canned goods for families during Thanksgiving and volunteering at the Homer G. Phillips Hospital on Christmas Eve. The hospital primarily served the Black community from 1937-1979.
The BSU at Meramec wasn’t always a favorable student organization. According to BSU member John Brown, the group faced backlash in 1974 by both Black and White students for being a racist group and not ‘functioning properly.’ Despite that, the BSU consistently managed to host thought-provoking and eventful Black History Month activities on campus. The Meramec BSU also hosted dances and essay contests as a way to fundraise.”
Unfortunately, according to archives from the Meramec Montage, the BSU (and several other clubs lost their charter in 1995. Since then, there’s been no evidence of the BS, so we assume the student organization waned off once it lost its charter.”
Until now, that is. Currently, the group is looking to fill leadership positions, including a President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. In addition, the BSU’s social media says that they are open to students wanting to get involved and lead in other ways.
The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 13 at 1:00pm in Humanities East Room 112, but an RSVP is required. You can find that RSVP link here.
The Montage thanks the BSU for their contributions to this piece.
